Gospel: Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
WHEN Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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A group, institution, or movement, whether big or small, distinguishes itself from others by a particular regimen, slogan, or belief.
Among Jesus’ contemporaries, the Pharisees, a well-known religious party, flaunted their strict adherence to the Torah of Moses and the tradition of their elders. They fasted frequently, paid tithes on their income, did not eat meals with unwashed hands, and avoided the company of tax collectors and other sinners (cf Mk 7:3; Lk 18:12).
John the Baptist and his disciples were also known for their fasting. Moreover, John must have taught his disciples some prayers that marked them as a particular group. Jesus’ disciples called his attention to this and asked him for their own brand of prayer: “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples” (Lk 11:1). This is how the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father came about (Matthew places it in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount – Mt 6:9-14). Even today the Lord’s Prayer marks us as Christians. We dare to call God “Father” because Jesus taught us so, and because Jesus made us truly God’s children by sending his Spirit in us through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15).
Another distinguishing mark of Jesus’ disciples is their practice of love (Greek agape). Jesus gave this as new commandment and badge at the Last Supper: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).
Many things mark us as Christians and as Catholics: the sign of the cross, the Mass and other sacraments, our prayers and songs, our liturgical celebrations, our churches and places of worship – all inspired by Scripture and tradition. But at the heart of all this and what holds all things together is the commandment of love: love of God and love of neighbor; love as Jesus loved us. Without love, all things fall apart.
The apostle Paul is emphatic: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal… if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:1-3).
Early Christians were slandered as haters of men, scum of the earth, even cannibals. Emperor Nero burned Rome and placed the blame on Christians, dressed them with animal skins, and fed them to the wild beasts in the arena. He burned them to light his imperial garden at night. Yet, pagans who came to know Christians were struck by them: “See how they love one another!” When calamities and plagues struck a city, the pagans would flee for dear life, abandoning the sick and the dead. Christians, on the other hand, would remain and attend to the sick, and so saved those who would have easily died. They were not afraid to face death because of their belief in the risen Lord and their hope for the reward hereafter. Consequently, they not only survived but also converted many pagans to the faith. Sociologists would explain thus the rapid spread of Christianity.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
